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Feb 28, 2017

SPOTLIGHT: A Handful of Destiny by Tony Nash

Spotlight is my small effort to support upcoming authors in their effort to reach their readers. And yes, it is FREE, however to be featured in this section, you need to go through a selection process, please click here for details.

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“Certain facts from history often make me want to explore the personalities involved and their possible motivation. " - Tony Nash

Anthony Frederick Nash (Tony Nash used as author name) is a dreamer, who dreams through the medium of research into ancient happenings and incidents. Having written 28 books, the dream is still alive and that’s also the reason for publishing this book - his interest in his ancestors. He researched them back to 1648, and on the way he found out that at about that time there were two brothers farming an estate. One stole everything he could lay his hands on and went off to America, leaving his brother almost destitute. That is the happening that triggers all the fictional subsequent action in the book.

The legal system of the late eighteenth century, when hundreds of innocent people are being sentenced for crimes they have not committed, many to death, claims another victim. Talented but poor Norfolk farmer Thomas Nash is impatient for Michaelmas 1786, when he will pay his benevolent mentor, Lord Rainforde, the final instalment on an 85-year-old loan and restore his family’s fortunes, but Fate is laughing in the wings.

Lord Rainforde is murdered and his title usurped by his illegitimate nephew, Silas, who desires Thomas’ land, and on that Michaelmas Day, so eagerly looked forward to for so long by Thomas and his wife, their lives are shattered as they are arrested on trumped up charges, leading to conviction and transportation to New Holland on the infamous First Fleet.

The dire suffering on that voyage, in ships unsuited to the task and with motley crews who have never before sailed to those waters and have no idea of the diabolical dangers awaiting them, is only the beginning of the convicts’ troubles. Not content with their disgrace and banishment, Silas Rainforde has sent men to kill Thomas and Martha, to ensure that they can never attempt to reclaim their land.

Flogged mercilessly by those men and told he is being taken away to die, Thomas, with nothing to lose, dives overboard from a moving ship into shark infested waters in a desperate attempt to escape, but falls foul of his pursuers and is wounded by gunfire and horribly disfigured by fire.

With the help of an aborigine he has previously befriended he escapes into the outback, where he joins a band of aborigine women whose men folk have died from the smallpox epidemic, brought to their country by the newcomers…

BRIEF NOTE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

He has written 28 novels in four years; He has enjoyed playing almost every game that exists; he catches over 300 trout every year: He had many different occupations: navigator, ocean yacht skipper; butcher; spy; professional stalker; antique restorer and French polisher; antique dealer; bespoke furniture maker; language teacher; driving instructor; radar and radio intercept operator; international rally driver; photographer; dog trainer etc.
He is also a keen gardener, designed and created his own back yard. He lives in Norwich, Norfolk - England

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INSPIRATIONS

My inspiration to write comes from the ideas for plots that come to me at the strangest moments, often when I am semi-somnolent. Also, certain facts from history often make me want to explore the personalities involved and their possible motivation. I have used such facts to a great extent in my war books: ‘A Handful of Courage’ and ‘No Tears Tomorrow’, as well as in ‘A Handful of Destiny’.

CHALLENGES

The biggest challenge in writing the book was the amount of research required. Every historical particular I have included is accurate, including the 18th century Aborigine words used, which are different to the modern words.

QUOTES FROM THE BOOK

1. “…the bucolic farmer, who loved every moment of that life; the feel of the plough handles jerking under his hands as he breathed the faint, vinegary, damp smell of his old horse pulling it; … the smell of new mown hay, of cider fermenting, of the blooms of the rambler roses that grew outside the front door and of brimstone during a thunderstorm.”

2. “For seventeen days and nights, ferocious storms in the Roaring Forties had the decks of all the vessels under water throughout the twenty-four hours of each day, and the salt water, which reached every nook and cranny… on the few occasions that the salt dried, it itched worse than the lice…”

3. “Martha turned her back to hide the fierce love pain that pierced her heart, tears springing to her eyes. Thomas was alive and safe. How long had Arthur known, she wondered, and why had Thomas not wanted to see her? Could he not know that she would love him no matter how disfigured he might be? Did he no longer love her?

She wondered how she could possibly hide from Arthur the knowledge and the joy that the only man she could ever truly love was alive. Not only alive, but nearby.”

4. “Is there any one thing that could make it more complete for you, Martha?’

She smiled, ‘It was perfect. The only thing that could is impossible even for my wizard of a husband.’

‘And that is?’

‘For a sight of my first-born.’

‘But he is in England.’

She sighed heavily, ‘Yes, indeed.’

He turned and held his hand over his eyes, looking down the hill into the descending dusk. ‘Perhaps if your wizard should wave his magic wand?’ He waved both arms as if signaling with semaphore.

She followed his gaze.

Approaching fast was a lone horseman, spurring his mount urgently up the hill towards the house…”

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Tony believes that in publishing a book, there is some ego involved: the wish to be a successful author. But that takes a second place to the main reason he writes and publishes his books.

“Art seems to be in me, wanting to get out.” - Tony Nash

At first, for him it was music; he taught himself music and to play the piano, and then the electronic keyboard. Then he began to write music. After that it was oil painting. He did, around forty years ago, write two books, for which he tried to find a publisher, but then went on to writing television plays for five years, giving up only when a local television producer he met at a party told him that she read all the plays submitted to our local studio, including his. She said, ‘we are the smallest TV company in the UK and we receive five hundred plus plays per month. We put on one half-hour play per month. The BBC receives something like twenty thousand. You can do the math.’

“Breaking into the big-time with books is even harder. With a million n new books published every year, the odds are greater than winning the lottery.” - Tony Nash

Even then, Tony says that if some one close to him like his daughter or wife (though they are delighted that he writes), he would refuse. He thinks he would explode with the numerous ideas that continually pour from his imagination. In any case, he would become far less animate being if he stops to write.

SOME INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT HIM

I survived a boating accident, where the boatman drowned and I was in 3.5C water for five minutes short of two hours, being described as a ‘walking miracle by the doctors, since they insisted that no one lives beyond ten minutes is such temperature. It took three days to bring my body temperature back to normal. I have been within an inch of death on twenty-three occasions, including shark attack.

TWO BIG THINGS OF HIS LIFE

My two greatest achievements are the gaining of the Honours Degree after five years of solitary study, and living through that boating accident (from which I was saved by my guardian angel, for the fourth time)

HIS FAVORITE BOOKS

GENRE: Murder Mystery

For many years, I have made a deep study of forensic medicine, and with that genre I can include much of what I have learnt, lending authenticity and originality to the novels. Of my own books, the two I love most are ‘Murder on Tiptoes’, which introduced my first detective, Tony Dyce, a thoroughly nice guy, and ‘Carve Up’, which brings to life my second, John Hunter, a flawed, brasher model.

BOOKS:

My favourite author is Dick Francis, whose books appear so simply written, and yet are magic to read. I try to emulate his style. If I had to nominate books by other authors, they would include any by Wilbur Smith or Clive Cussler, some of Patricia Cornwell’s and some of Kathy Reichs, but I love all forms of literature and have read two books a week for all my life, including early German, French and Spanish works.

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WORLD'S TOP SPIRITUAL BLOG - 36TH RANK (2016)

SPOTLIGHT - PROMOTING NEW AUTHORS

Spotlight is my small effort to support upcoming authors in their effort to reach their readers. And yes, it is FREE, however to be featured in this section, you need to go through a selection process, please click here for details.

Writes Poetry, Haiku, Spiritual Fiction, most of the times about Spiritual and blissful living. He enjoys spiritual journeys across India / High on Himalayas or floating below in depths Ganges, on a self-exploration trip, all the while trying to work out that elusive enlightenment, which every one talks about but, most of the times, don't find.

... and he ends up writing about these experiences at his blog "Shadow Dancing With Mind", which is considered to be India's #1 Spiritual Blog (last three years) and has been listed #36 in top 50 spiritual blogs of the Planet this year.

MY BOOK - 1 OF 'THE MONK KEY' 3 PART SERIES

Songs of the Mist

SONGS OF THE MIST - An Introduction

"Many of us here yearn for something more in our life. Shashi has provided a spiritual release in his beautiful book, "Songs of the Mist". It’s unusual and thought provoking book. The book answers questions that we struggle to frame in our daily lives. Shashi’s descriptive beauty of the mystic nature of Himalayas interwoven with sufferings and the heartaches, and the struggle of each protagonist, provide eloquent and thought provoking read. Not a book to be browsed at glance and to reach books full potential demands commitment and investment of time to savor its subtlety and do grows." - Timeri N Murari (Famous Author, Script Writer and Journalist) speaking about “Songs of the Mist” at an evening of Art, Music and Writing organised by Apparao Galleries at The Hotel Leela Palace